Need to pick out a new dishwasher! Features or brands you love or hate?

[MercyA]

Hive, please share your wisdom on the topic of dishwashers. We have always disliked the one that came with our house--a Kenmore that doesn't get the dishes clean, doesn't get them dry, and doesn't stay clean itself. Now one drawer is leaking and we can justify buying a new one. 🙂

Please tell me--do you hate your dishwasher? Love it? What features should I look for?

As usual I am coming here first. Thanks all! ❤️

[KungFuPanda]

Tagging along because I also need a new dishwasher. 😬

[itsheresomewhere]

I ended up with a kitchenaid this time.  I really like it.   Two years so far of cleaning dishes including dishes my teenagers have forgotten about in their rooms. Easy to remove both filters for cleaning and I wanted a stainless steel tub.  Plus, the appliance repair group I use talked about how easy it was to get parts for it if something should break ( I repair our appliances until it is no longer worth it). I know Bosch is supposed to the best but I refuse to buy anything from them over how they make it difficult to get parts.  
 

If you have big plates, bring one with you.  Some of the dishwashers when I looked had the bottom set up in a way that made difficult for it to fix larger plates.  

[Katy]

I got a bosch a few months ago. I wanted the stainless interior so it would last forever, but I took what was in stock. I love it. Everything is always clean. It does have a filter instead of a disposal, but the filter is wavy so the surface area is bigger and it takes far longer to clog than the old one. It also won’t run without jet dry. But otherwise it’s easy and quiet. 

[meena]

We’ve had the Kitchenaid with three racks for a few years, and it is fabulous. I believe it is the Freeflex 404. The top rack is bigger and more practical than on any other we looked at. It’s made for cups/glasses, which is great because we tend to go through a lot. It also opens up so much space in the rest of the washer. Everyone who helps load/unload is pretty amazed by how much it can fit. I typically use the Prowash cycle and it gets the dishes clean every time. Our old dishwasher didn’t have a heating element for drying, just used a fan and the residual heat of the water. I never realized how much I disliked that until we got the new one that has a heating element. Now 99% of the dishes come out dry vs like 50% at most for the old one. Other nice features: stainless steel tub, the middle rack can be adjusted up to make room for taller items on bottom, very quiet, has delay cycle, sanitizing option, silverware holder designed well to keep pieces separate for better cleaning. 

Edited December 27, 2022 by meena

[alisoncooks]

Following. My dishwasher died at Thanksgiving. 😞 

[Pawz4me]

47 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

 I know Bosch is supposed to the best but I refuse to buy anything from them over how they make it difficult to get parts.

We had a Bosch up until a couple of months ago. It had a wiring issue and the repairman said he'd need to replace the whole assembly IF he could get it. The cost of that made it illogical to fix. It was only about five years old. He said Bosch are great until they break, and then parts are expensive IF you can even get them. Apparently they've had more pandemic related issues than many other brands, and (according to the repairman and two appliance sales people we spoke to) it's definitely still an ongoing issue with them.

We replaced it with this KitchenAid and so far I'm happy with it. It really is super quiet. The Bosch wasn't loud, but it was louder than the previous Samsung we had (which was here when we bought the house). The KitchenAid is quieter than either of those. The tines on the bottom rack are widely spaced. Much better than the Bosch, which had a really weird lower rack. The KitchenAid is almost too widely spaced for my liking, but I'll take that any day over the weird Bosch spacing. The cycles seem long to me, but I typically run it in the evening and never more than once a day, so long cycles aren't an issue for us. I can see where it could be for large families who need to run it multiple times a day. Overall I'd absolutely buy this one again.

[catz]

We have a Bosch and have been super happy with it for at least several years.  We had 2 mieles in a row that died way too fast and customer service was awful.  
 

what was a dishwasher game changer for me was a 3rd rack for silverware.   I will never go back.  

[73349]

My Bosch is very quiet (guests have accidentally opened it while it's running)--a feature that allows us to run it during school, at night, etc. It get things quite clean, but does demand Jet Dry.

[Kidlit]

Following because I'm pretty sure (& hoping so because I hate it 🤣) our came-with-the-house dinosaur is on its last leg. 

[Farrar]

I don't know from exactly the right brands, but we've been happy with our Bosch.

In terms of features though, the third rack! It's just for things like spatulas and little awkward parts. Maybe everyone has this feature at this point? But when we got it, I was like, this is brilliant.

[cintinative]

I can't recommend a model because it has been years, but generally: think about how you use your dishwasher and how the racks are configured.  We needed bottom racks that could accommodate larger bowls (cereal bowls) and glass storage dishes. Some dishwashers were set up in a way that would make that difficult.  The one we started with was set up for stemware on the top and we don't use stemware.  What I tend to put on the top other than cooking spoons and cups is little bowls and measuring cups.

Also when we bought we tried a model without heated drying and ended up returning it. I just don't have a rhythm for running my dishwasher so it can dry overnight and we also use some plastics which pool water on top in a non-heated drying situation.

Edited December 27, 2022 by cintinative

[Elizabeth86]

Everyone recommended Bosch to me. It is my first and only dishwasher I have ever owned or used, so that being said, I love it! The dishes get clean. Even the 60 minute cycle works perfectly. Finish products work best. I hear it breaks down less than others. I’ve had mine 5 years and I’ve only needed to clean the filter monthly or so. The only con is that it doesn’t dry well, but that is my kids chores, so 🤷‍♀️

[Elizabeth86]

26 minutes ago, Farrar said:

I don't know from exactly the right brands, but we've been happy with our Bosch.

In terms of features though, the third rack! It's just for things like spatulas and little awkward parts. Maybe everyone has this feature at this point? But when we got it, I was like, this is brilliant.

Yes. I love the 3rd rack too.

[Elizabeth86]

47 minutes ago, 73349 said:

My Bosch is very quiet (guests have accidentally opened it while it's running)--a feature that allows us to run it during school, at night, etc. It get things quite clean, but does demand Jet Dry.

Yes they are quiet. I forgot because I could care less if it sounded like a jet taking off, no more hand washing. 🤣

[Elizabeth86]

1 hour ago, Katy said:

I got a bosch a few months ago. I wanted the stainless interior so it would last forever, but I took what was in stock. I love it. Everything is always clean. It does have a filter instead of a disposal, but the filter is wavy so the surface area is bigger and it takes far longer to clog than the old one. It also won’t run without jet dry. But otherwise it’s easy and quiet. 

I think I read that having a filter vs a disposal means one less thing to break down.

[theelfqueen]

Bosch with three racks over here. Love it. Super quiet. Works great. 

[gardenmom5]

Loath isn't a strong enough word to describe the (high end version) kitchenaid dishwasher we had. (I was wishing I could send it back two weeks after it was installed.)

We are super super happy with the Bosch 850 we bought from an appliance store - which was not a version available at any big box store.  It cleans very well, is generally extremely quiet (sometimes it sounds like it's raining causing me to look outside),  it has a glass cycle - which we also wanted. I think it's three and a half years old?

[MercyA]

1 hour ago, gardenmom5 said:

Loath isn't a strong enough word to describe the (high end version) kitchenaid dishwasher we had. (I was wishing I could send it back two weeks after it was installed.)

We are super super happy with the Bosch 850 we bought from an appliance store - which was not a version available at any big box store.  It cleans very well, is generally extremely quiet (sometimes it sounds like it's raining causing me to look outside),  it has a glass cycle - which we also wanted. I think it's three and a half years old?

Gardenmom, what in particular did you loathe? Shopping today!

[gardenmom5]

8 minutes ago, MercyA said:

Gardenmom, what in particular did you loathe? Shopping today!

The kitchen aide didn't clean the dishes - I had to rinse them perfectly clean before loading and it was only useful for sanitizing.  I will never even look at any kitchen aid dishwasher again.

 

I had a GE profile (which I really liked, but it died and went the way of all the earth . . . ) that cleaned food off of dishes (not wheat flour - but that's a whole 'other beast . . .).  I have a dishwasher to *clean* dishes, not me have to wash the dishes before putting them in a dishwasher.

 

So - It's great to have a dishwasher (the Bosch 850) again that will actually clean food off of dishes. . .

Edited December 27, 2022 by gardenmom5

[Hannah]

Another Bosch fan here.  Ours is at least 7 years old and still cleans perfectly.  We have an open plan kitchen living area, so wanted something quiet and it is.  It has a filter and no 3rd rack, so probably an older model.

Adding:  We never rinse anything before putting it in the machine, just scrape off the plate /pot/dish and in it goes.

Edited December 27, 2022 by Hannah

[Ali in OR]

The builder-installed Whirlpool grew pink algae-looking stuff on its white interior. For its replacement we went with a stainless steel interior Bosch and have been happy with it--no pink stuff at all! Twice we've had issues with its leak-detector going off and shutting itself down. This probably saved our wood floors from water damage. The first time was right after the appliance store guy installed it. He later said it was a faulty unit but we suspect he wasn't great at installation (never screwed the unit into the countertop for example.) The second time some seals failed. Dh had no problem ordering replacements and fixing it himself (he keeps all of our appliances going). The unit is probably 6 or 7 years old now.

[Clarita]

Love Bosch, love the skinny 3rd rack on top. I like it to be a "flex" rack rather than just flatware rack. Flex rack is just a rack so ramekins and things also fit up there. Downside is the flex rack limits what the 2nd rack can hold.

Bring your big dishes and your most used dishes to see how they fit.

[Miss Tick]

17 minutes ago, Clarita said:

Downside is the flex rack limits what the 2nd rack can hold.

I discovered that the second rack in my Bosch has one or two adjustment points also. Of course that can limit the bottom rack then...

[Carol in Cal.]

I love my KitchenAid.  I think it is about 5 years old now.  Dishes are very clean, and mostly dry (except things like the bottoms of upside down coffee cups that always hold a little water.)

Features I looked for that are not in all washers:

Extremely quiet

Programmable start time in case you want to run it in the middle of the night if electricity is cheaper then

Top rack only cycle for small loads or for if I get too old to bend down and use the bottom one—also, a top rack deep enough for dinner plates and adjustable in height.

Third rack (thin) for cooking utensils and jar tops and such

Self cleaning filter

Available heated dry and heated wash (so the water can be heated up beyond the temperature of the incoming water if needed)

Jets that go all the way to the corners of the baskets

Stainless steel inside

Vertical tines on the bottom rack (the Bosch I looked at had diagonal ones, which were fine for plates but not for pots.)

Bonus—Repair guys love these—reportedly they are easy to work on and parts are easy to come by.  We have not needed to take advantage of this, but it is nice to know.

I looked for one with a garbage disposal type grinder in the outflow area, which used to be standard but are now quite unusual.  I think ours has that but don’t remember for sure.  It’s something you have to ask about.  Also, I learned that for this and other obscure stuff, even a good sales rep at an independent store would not necessarily know the answers or represent them exactly correctly, so for stuff that was really important to me I asked for spec sheets and studied them myself with my own list of essentials in hand.  I had to go pretty high end in the KitchenAid offerings to get what I wanted, but I use appliances a lot and for a longer time that most people so I think buying higher quality is worth it for me.

 

Edited December 27, 2022 by Carol in Cal.

[Spryte]

Bosch is my favorite. Love the third rack, middle rack is also adjustable. Love the stainless inside, feels clean. Filter is easy to clean. We use Finish, and everything feels very clean.

DH is an audio guy so quiet appliances are a huge, necessary thing here. 
 

[mominco]

Do not get a Whirlpool, I replaced my WP with another WP because mine died end of 2020 and the pickings were slim.I got one with the top rack which I love.The 2nd rack has already broken.I just dislike WP so much,every month the dishes do not get washed at all even though a cycle will run completely. It just has issues. I think Kitchenaid is owned by WP now so I am unsure of this brand.

[Clarita]

1 hour ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Available heated dry and heated wash (so the water can be heated up beyond the temperature of the incoming water if needed)

Bosh does not have a heating element to heat your dishes dry, but I do believe it can heat the water up more. 

My dishes are come out dry using rinse-aid and extra dry and sanitize function (except for the standing water due to my loading issues or the little pool of water on mugs). 

Edited December 27, 2022 by Clarita
Typo

[lmrich]

Take your normal dishes and cups with you and make sure they fit  the dishwasher. 

I like having  one that has a delayed feature so I run the machine during off peak hours. 

I would love to find one that locked when in  use! 

[Tree Frog]

I have a 5 year old Bosch I like. As others have mentioned, I really like the flex rack on top. It holds a lot more than just silverware. I like that I can move the second row up or down depending on needs. It's very quiet, so we can watch TV 5 feet away without hearing it.

Things I don't like are the tines on the bottom rack. I took dishes with us when we were looking to replace the dishwasher and my Corelle fit without a problem. When I upgraded my dishes, though, they didn't work as well. The other thing I found was that even filling less than of half of the soap dispenser, I ended up with suds in the bottom after the cycle finished. I did some research and found I wasn't the only one with this problem. Changing the detergent and using rinse agents didn't help. Eventually I tried good ole vinegar. I use a ratio of 1:1 with water and haven't had a problem since. 

The main cycle is over 2 hours long. I think that's too long, but it's due to energy saving. I don't think that's an issue specific to my Bosch. 

 

[KungFuPanda]

What did you choose?  I still need to make a decision. It looks like the hive is split between Kitchenaid and Bosch. 

[Forget-Me-Not]

On 12/27/2022 at 7:24 AM, meena said:

We’ve had the Kitchenaid with three racks for a few years, and it is fabulous. I believe it is the Freeflex 404. The top rack is bigger and more practical than on any other we looked at. It’s made for cups/glasses, which is great because we tend to go through a lot. It also opens up so much space in the rest of the washer. Everyone who helps load/unload is pretty amazed by how much it can fit. I typically use the Prowash cycle and it gets the dishes clean every time. Our old dishwasher didn’t have a heating element for drying, just used a fan and the residual heat of the water. I never realized how much I disliked that until we got the new one that has a heating element. Now 99% of the dishes come out dry vs like 50% at most for the old one. Other nice features: stainless steel tub, the middle rack can be adjusted up to make room for taller items on bottom, very quiet, has delay cycle, sanitizing option, silverware holder designed well to keep pieces separate for better cleaning. 

This this this. I believe I have the same dishwasher. Love the third upper rack that holds a ton of cups. Love the adjustable second rack, where I can literally fit my KA mixer bowl if it’s lowered (one of the things that sold me on it). My husband was amazed when I actually put it there the other day and it closed lol. 

[TechWife]

I don’t like my Frigidaire Professional Series dishwasher. It’s awful. It’s ineffective at drying dishes. The “normal” cycle runs for well over two hours. I’m constantly battling gross residue on the inside of the door to the extent that sometimes I can’t trust that the dishes are really clean. I’m hoping we don’t have to wait until it breaks to replace it. 

Edited January 10, 2023 by TechWife

[TechWife]

On 12/27/2022 at 10:36 AM, Elizabeth86 said:

I think I read that having a filter vs a disposal means one less thing to break down.

I would love to have a disposal. Filters are gross. Really gross. In all my years, the only part I’ve ever had go bad on a dishwasher was the water pump. That happened on my old Kenmore about every 9-10 years. 

[kristin0713]

I have a Miele. It has a utensil rack at the top that I love, but I do miss having a basket. Also, it does not have a clean indicator light. So when it’s finished, the light just turns off and it’s no obvious to everyone else that the dishes are clean. 🙄 I hate that. 

[kristin0713]

Prior to the Miele, I had two Bosch dishwashers and loved them. 

[CTVKath]

I love my Bosch with 3rd rack and 60-minute quick cycle. I third, fourth and fifth taking a plate, bowl and large cup with you while shopping to make sure they'll fit.

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, TechWife said:

I don’t like my Frigidaire Professional Series dishwasher. It’s awful. It’s ineffective at drying dishes. The “normal” cycle runs for well over two hours. I’m constantly battling gross residue on the inside of the door to the extent that sometimes I can’t trust that the dishes are really clean. I’m hoping we don’t have to wait until it breaks to replace it. 

Sounds like my Kitchenaid.  I hated that thing, it was basically only useful for sterilizing - I had to wash everything before loading.  So glad when we finally replaced it.

[fairfarmhand]

On 12/27/2022 at 7:57 AM, Katy said:

I got a bosch a few months ago. I wanted the stainless interior so it would last forever, but I took what was in stock. I love it. Everything is always clean. It does have a filter instead of a disposal, but the filter is wavy so the surface area is bigger and it takes far longer to clog than the old one. It also won’t run without jet dry. But otherwise it’s easy and quiet. 

I went through 3 whirlpool dishwashers in 6 years. Then I got the very cheapest Bosch at lowes and it’s been a wonderful investment. We’re like 4 years in and it works like it did the day I brought it home.

[BusyMom5]

Bosch or Kitchen Aid, and I wouldn't even look at other brands.  Appliances these days are so unreliable, they don't last.